


Learning Experience

by BlueMoonFantasies



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Akashi Masaomi's A+ Parenting, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Masaomi is not a good father here, that's sarcasm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2020-10-14 07:07:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20596736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueMoonFantasies/pseuds/BlueMoonFantasies
Summary: Unable to face his father after his devastating loss in the Winter Cup, Akashi runs away. Kagami finds him and takes him in. Enemies become friends, and two basketball-loving redheads have their worlds flipped upside down as they learn new things about each other and about themselves.Something I enjoy doing with fanfiction is writing ambiguous relationships. I won't write anything blatantly romantic, but you can read this as KagaAka if you want. And because I'm a musical nerd, all of the chapter titles are going to be lyrics from the 1994 recording of Jekyll & Hyde.





	1. Leading Me out of the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi didn't expect Kagami to be so kind. Kagami didn't expect Akashi to be so grateful.

Kagami waved as he parted with the last of his teammates. The Seirin basketball team had gone out to Maji Burger to celebrate their victory against Rakuzan. To be honest, although Kagami was tired from the long day, he was still pretty excited about it. Akashi was just as tough an opponent as Kuroko had warned them, but they still came out on top. The bigger the obstacle, the more rewarding it is when you overcome it. At least, that was Kagami’s philosophy.

It was rather late, so the streets were fairly quiet except for the occasional car and the rain pattering against the ground. Kagami didn't have an umbrella, but that was fine. It wasn't raining too hard. He shifted his duffle bag to hang more comfortably off his shoulder and slowed his pace to enjoy the atmosphere. It was rarely this quiet in Tokyo. It reminded him of the little suburb he lived in back in America.

As he approached the bus stop signaling that he didn't have much farther to go, something caught his eye. There was a figure sitting sideways on the bench, knees pulled up to their chest. Kagami would have just disregarded them and kept on walking, but there was only one person he knew with that bright red hair.

“Akashi?” he said as he got closer. The smaller boy was out of his basketball uniform and was instead wearing a greyish-blue overcoat, black slacks, and a red scarf. He turned his head slightly, revealing his left eye, which was…red. Kagami had never really stopped to look, but he could have sworn it was golden before. Kuroko did mention something about the “old Akashi-kun” coming back. Maybe that was the sign?

Akashi buried his face back into his arms. “Hello, Kagami,” he responded. He sounded tired. “Have you come to gloat?”

It was tempting, but something in the other boy’s voice told Kagami that this wasn't the time to rub his victory in his face. Instead, he sat down behind Akashi and set his bag down on his other side.

“What are you still doing here?” Kagami asked. “Shouldn't you be back in Kyoto with your teammates by now?”

Akashi lifted his head but didn't turn around. “I suppose I should,” he replied, “but I excused myself just before the bus arrived.”

“And your team didn't wait for you?” asked the taller teen.

“No, they waited for about thirty minutes. Mibuchi called me in a panic to make sure I was okay. I told him I had some business to take care of. I told them to go without me and that I would get my own transportation home.”

“So you're waiting for your ride? The buses don't run this late, you know.”

“No, Kagami. I lied. I'm not waiting for anyone. I'm not going home.”

“What!? Why not?”

“I can't face my father. Not after this. Not after such a shameful performance.”

“Okay, so you lost,” said Kagami. “So what? Your dad will understand.”

“No, he won't,” Akashi spat. “You don't know what my father is like. If I go back to him after such a devastating loss, he'll…” the shorter redhead’s voice tightened as he squeezed his arms. He fought back tears at the rampant thoughts. He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “I just…can't go home…”

“Well, you can't stay out here, either,” said the other. “You'll get sick. Or robbed. Or worse.”

“I have nowhere to go,” Akashi said sullenly. “I checked out of the hotel with everyone else.”

Kagami scratched at the back of his head. He was at a total loss for how to handle this. What do you do when someone tells you they're running away from home? Sure, Akashi was an arrogant little prick, but Kagami couldn't just let him sit and freeze to death. He raked his brain for a solution until he finally came to a decision. He stood and picked up both of their bags. Before Akashi could say anything, Kagami declared, “You can spend the night at my place.”

“Are you sure?” Akashi asked, and geez, Kagami never expected someone like him to sound so uncertain of anything.

“Yeah. I live alone, so it's fine.” He offered his hand to the point guard, inwardly shocked when he actually took it and helped him off the bench. “Holy shit, you're freezing!”

Akashi thought Kagami’s hand felt a little warm. He hadn't noticed how cold he was until that moment. Fear of his father made him numb to everything else, but now that Kagami had mentioned it, he began to shiver violently.

“Let's get you inside quick,” Kagami said. “Come on, my house isn't too far from here.”

Akashi followed Kagami until they reached a rather sizable home. He waited patiently for the other to unlock the door and usher him in. He scanned the area as he removed his shoes.

“This is pretty big for one person,” he observed.

“Yeah, I know,” Kagami replied. “I said the same thing to my dad when he told me he wanted to buy it for me. But it's grown on me. After I saw how small some apartments can get in Japan, I started to really appreciate the space.”

“Ah, that's right. You spent quite a bit of time in America, didn't you?”

Akashi briefly wondered how wealthy Kagami’s family was. He just assumed the taller boy was a commoner based on his behavior, but to be able to maintain such a big place on his own, he must have some money to his name.

“Yeah. We can talk about that tomorrow, though. Let me show you the guest room.” He handed Akashi his bag and gestured for him to follow. Kagami led him down a short hallway, pointing out the bathroom and his own bedroom. He stopped at the last door on the right. “Here it is. Make yourself comfortable. I'll go make you some tea.”

Akashi nodded and watched the other leave. He was…perplexed, to say the least. The two of them were rivals barely six hours ago. Why was Kagami being so nice to him? He shook his head and set his bag down by the bed. The furniture was pretty standard. A futon, a nightstand with a lamp, and a dresser with a large mirror situated on top, all in various shades of white and brown. There was a single window on the wall opposite the door with plain, white curtains.

It was all so simple. Akashi was used to extravagant, gaudy decorations in rich reds and glimmering golds, portraits of himself and his entire family tree on every wall of the two-story, Western-style mansion. He found Kagami’s simplistic, traditional style to be a refreshing change.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he called. The door slid open to reveal Kagami holding a small, steaming cup.

“Here,” he said, handing the tea to the shorter athlete.

“Thank you.” He took a sip. It was sweet, but he was sure it wasn't sugar he was tasting. “Did you put honey in this?” he asked.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry, force of habit.” Kagami scratched the back of his neck. “I can, uh, make some more if…if you don't like it.”

“No, no, it's very good,” the Rakuzan captain assured. “It’s just new for me, is all.”

“Seriously?” the taller boy asked. “You've never had tea with honey before? Even as a kid?”

“Well, I have, but… It's been a while.” He took another sip then set the cup down on the nightstand. “Do you mind if I use your shower?”

“Huh? No, go ahead.” Kagami stretched and yawned. “I'm gonna head to bed if that's alright. Just bring the cup into the kitchen when you’re done. I'll wash it in the morning.”

“Alright,” Akashi said. Kagami was halfway out of the room when Akashi suddenly called for him. “And, Kagami?”

“Hm?” the taller of the two grunted, turning his head to face the other.

Where to start? There were so many things Akashi wanted to say to him. _Thank you for bringing me back to myself. I'm sorry for everything my other self did to you and your friends. I hope you don't hate me._

“Thank you,” he settled, “for letting me stay here.”

Kagami shot him a confused look before muttering, “Sure thing,” and heading to his room.

Akashi quickly finished his tea and placed the cup in the kitchen sink. Upon returning to the guest room, he laid out the pajamas he'd packed on the futon, pulled out a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small bottle of shampoo, and quietly made his way to the bathroom to wash up. He stayed in the shower for longer than usual, letting the water warm him. He towel dried his hair before wrapping the towel around his waist and brushing his teeth. He made his way back to the guest room to change into his pajamas and settling into the futon.

He had trouble falling asleep. His mind was racing. Up until that night, every single moment of Akashi’s life had been perfectly calculated. His loss to Seirin in the Winter Cup threw everything off course. The path he had so meticulously set out for himself crumbled away before his eyes, leaving him teetering on the edge of an abyss. He took his body back from his other self. He lost for the first time in his life. He ran away from home. He was sleeping at his rival’s house. He had no idea what he was doing anymore. Everything was happening so fast. He needed time to recalculate, to adjust for this unexpected turn of events. He tried his best to clear his head and eventually fell into a restless slumber.


	2. Someone I Don't Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi tells Kagami about himself. Kagami realizes he doesn't know the other person in his house at all.

When Kagami woke up the next morning, he was surprised to see that Akashi hadn't left his room. The guy struck him as an early riser. But Kagami supposed he had a long day yesterday and decided to let him rest. He went into the living room and flicked on the TV, lowering the volume so as not to disturb his guest. There was nothing interesting happening on the sports channel he usually watched, so he changed it to a random channel, which ended up being some kind of science network. It didn't matter. It was just for a bit of background noise as Kagami went about his morning routine.

He absentmindedly rinsed off the dishes in the sink and placed them in the dishwasher. He then turned on the stove to prepare breakfast. He realized at that moment that he had no idea what Akashi liked. He didn't want to wake the poor guy up to ask him, so he just threw some rice in the steamer and made a bowl of miso soup before grabbing some pancake mix and bacon for himself and putting two slices of bread in the toaster.

It was surreal. Seijuurou Akashi, _the_ Seijuurou Akashi, the perfect, terrifying boy who commanded the utmost respect from everyone who crossed paths with him, was staying at his house. Seijuurou Akashi, who seemed to have his whole life planned out, looked so…so lost.

He was just putting the food on the plates when he heard a groggy voice mumble, “Good morning, Kagami.”

Kagami most certainly did not jump out of his skin. He whipped his head around to see Akashi standing at the end of the corridor in a large red t-shirt and grey sweatpants, rubbing his eyes, still looking half-asleep. His hair was a mess. It wasn't as wild as Kuroko’s, but he imagined that, if it were longer, it would have been.

“What the hell!?” Kagami shouted, pointing an accusing finger at his guest. “Don't scare me like that! How long were you standing there!?”

“Only for a few seconds,” the shorter teen replied, tilting his head slightly. “Please don't have a heart attack. It's going to look very suspicious if you're found dead the morning after I moved in.”

Okay seriously, was this guy Kuroko’s evil twin or something!? And what was this talk of moving in? Kagami thought he was just staying the night. Shaking his head, he set the food on the kitchen table and motioned for Akashi to join him. A small bowl of rice and miso soup for Akashi, and some toast with jam, a rather large stack of pancakes and a generous amount of bacon for himself.

“I wasn't sure what you liked, so I just went with something basic. I hope that's okay.”

Akashi nodded. “This is fine. Thank you.” The two of them began to dig into their meals. Kagami hastily shoveled the food into his mouth with his fork while Akashi held the bowls close to his face and made careful, almost dainty work of his ladle and chopsticks. They were nearly done eating when Kagami spoke.

“About the whole ‘moving in’ thing,” said the power forward before swallowing a mouthful of bacon. “I thought you were just going to stay the night and figure out where to go.” He realized how rude that sounded and rushed to correct himself, hands flailing wildly. “I mean-! I'm not…kicking you out or anything! It's just, y’know, I thought you had a plan.”

Akashi swallowed his food before speaking. “I thought I would have come up with something by now, too, but…” he set his rice bowl and chopsticks down and pressed the palms of his hands against his face, “everything’s just happening so fast. I can't think properly. You don't mind if I stay for a bit longer, do you? Just until I can clear my head.”

“How long will that be?” asked the tan boy.

“I don't know,” Akashi replied, voice trembling. “Everything is just a big question mark right now, and I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know where to go from here-”

“Akashi, you're crying.”

The smaller teen paused in his rambling and wiped at his eyes. Wet. He lowered his head in shame. He was such a mess.

“Do you…wanna talk about it?” Kagami was no therapist, but his father always told him that sharing your problems with someone helps.

“Not particularly.” Despite the tired rasp of his voice, Kagami could hear the bitterness. “But I suppose, if I'm going to be staying here, I should give you no reason not to trust me.” He took a deep breath and straightened himself up.

“I was raised under a very strict regime. Everything I did had to be absolutely perfect, or my father wouldn't allow me to continue. The first inconsistency in my life was the loss of my mother shortly after my tenth birthday. I had known for a while at that point that she was going to die, but I couldn't accept it until months after it actually happened. She was the one who introduced me to basketball. She told me to play the way I wanted and refused to let my father intervene. Basketball became a reprieve for me. It was the one thing I didn't have to be perfect at.

When she passed, my father took even that from me. Suddenly, I had to be the perfect athlete on top of everything else, or I wouldn't be allowed to play anymore. I wanted to keep playing so badly for my mother’s sake, but it just became another layer of stress. It was around then that I started hearing a voice in my head. It was my own voice; it introduced itself with my name, but it wasn't me. I didn't know what to make of it. Even as a child, I knew that hearing voices wasn't normal, so I never told anyone.

For the next few years, the voice would talk to me. He would ask me to let him out, tell me that he could help meet my father’s expectations. But I was scared. Until my second year at Teiko, I tried to ignore him. As I watched the other Miracles blossom and realized I couldn't keep up, I knew they would leave me behind, and I didn’t want to be alone. The voice told me he could close the gap for me if I would just give him control. I finally gave in. I let him take over our body. He was certainly strong enough to catch up with the others, but they left anyway. They were just as afraid of him as I had been.

When faced with the prospect of losing yesterday, my other self cracked, and I used his moment of weakness to take our body back. But I still lost, and he may be foolishly unafraid of our father, but _I’m_ terrified.”

Well, geez! Kagami didn't ask for his whole life story! Still, it did explain quite a bit. He sat back, leaning on his hands, and took a moment to process all the information that was just thrown at him. “So when Kuroko said the old you was back…”

“Yes,” Akashi nodded, “Kuroko and Midorima were the only ones to piece together that there was more than one me.”

“And you didn't think to get help!?” Kagami scolded, leaning forward and slamming his hands on the table. Akashi didn't even flinch. “Isn't that some sort of serious condition!? Dissocitate…diss…”

“Dissociative Identity Disorder,” Akashi corrected. “I know I should have gotten help. I should have done a lot of things. In fact…I never even apologized for almost stabbing you, did I?”

Kagami sat back and waved a hand dismissively. “It's fine. I mean, you just said it was that other you, right? So you have nothing to apologize for.”

“Still, it wasn't the best first impression, and I sincerely apologize on his behalf.” Akashi looked down at his empty rice bowl. “Breakfast was very good.”

Kagami was confused by the sudden change in topic but went along with it. “Uh, thanks.” He took up the dishes and ran them under the faucet.

“I can help,” Akashi suggested, finally looking back up at his host.

Kagami reeled as he was once again thrown for a loop. It struck him then exactly why Akashi had told him that long-winded story about his mental health; to let him know that this was a whole other person. He was so used to the other Akashi, the one who could make people bow to him just by looking at them. He had no idea what the Akashi currently sitting in his kitchen was like. He was literally meeting him all over again.

“Uh, it’s fine. I've got it,” he said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You're a guest; I couldn't ask you to do my chores for me. Oh, and you can change the channel if you want. I was really just using it for white noise.”

“Ah, this channel is actually my favorite.” Akashi settled himself on the couch and raised the volume. “I typically don't have much time to watch TV, but when I do, it's either basketball or this.”

_Okay, note to self: original!Akashi is a nerd._

Kagami left the dishes in the sink as the dishwasher was still running and went over to join Akashi, keeping a respectable distance between them. They watched a marathon of a show dedicated to explaining how different visual illusions worked. Kagami was actually getting pretty into it, even though he didn't really understand some of what was being said. He jolted when he heard a violin playing wildly beside him. He turned to Akashi to see him looking at the source of the sound: his phone.

“I'm sorry,” said the shorter boy without looking up. “I have to take this.” He stood and hurried out of the room, the violin fading with his departure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And aaaalllll my Akashi headcanons come pouring out.


	3. Look Behind the Facade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi’s teammates worry. He tells them everything is okay.
> 
> Everything is not okay. Kagami’s eating habits aren't helping.

Akashi sprinted to the guest room and shut the door. In all honesty, he had been expecting this. Mibuchi was protective of him. He knew his senior would worry when he failed to return to his dorm in Rakuzan. He just hadn't been expecting it so early. With no time to think of an excuse to give, he hit ‘Answer’ and held the phone away from his ear in preparation of what was to come.

_“SEI-CHAN!!”_ Mibuchi screeched from the other end. _“WHERE ARE YOU!? I didn't hear you come back to your room last night, and I didn't see you in class! Are you okay!? Do you need me to call the police!?”_ Akashi could just imagine the older boy clutching his phone in both hands with tears in his eyes. God, he felt horrible.

When he was sure Mibuchi was done, he brought the phone to his ear. “I'm fine, Mibuchi,” he replied calmly. He was anything but calm. His free hand crossed over his chest to _tap tap tap_ nervously away at his other arm. His eyes shifted around the room. He needed to think of something fast to put Mibuchi at ease. “Something came up. I'm…staying with a family friend.”

_“Do you know when you'll be back?”_ asked the other.

“No,” said Akashi. He smacked his forehead. Too fast. Mibuchi was silent on the other end for a minute.

_“Sei-chan,”_ he said softly, _“what's wrong? You can tell me. Please? I want you to trust me.”_

He didn't buy it, Akashi thought, biting his lip. He knew it. He was too vague. Mibuchi saw right through him. His shoulders sagged in defeat. He decided to tell the truth.

“If I tell you,” he began, “you can't repeat this to anyone else.”

_“Not even the team?”_ Mibuchi inquired.

The redhead went rigid. “Especially not them. Mayuzumi won’t care, and Hayama and Nebuya can't keep their mouths shut.”

_“I think you're underestimating them, Sei-chan.”_

“Mibuchi-”

_“Okay! I won't tell them, I promise! Now, what's the matter?”_

Akashi took a deep breath. “I don't think I'm coming back.” He quickly pulled the phone away from his ear again.

_“WHAT!? WHY!? Did someone threaten you!? Are you being held hostage!?”_

“Calm down, Mibuchi. I'm not in danger. This is my own choice.”

_“But… Why wouldn't you want to come back?”_ the second-year asked.

Akashi hugged himself again. “I can't face my father after what happened yesterday. I'm… I’m scared, Mibuchi.”

_“I know you said you had a rough relationship with your father, but is it really that bad?”_

“It's much worse than you think.”

_“Ah. I understand, then. Where are you staying?”_

“I'm at Kagami’s house,” Akashi replied, relaxing a little.

_“Kagami!? Seirin’s ace? Well, that's…unexpected.”_

“He's the one who offered,” Akashi said. “I had nowhere else to go, really. He doesn't appear to be upset about my behavior. He seems more confused than anything.”

_“Well, as long as you two are getting along, then I suppose that's fine.”_

“I'm sorry for making you worry,” Akashi apologized out of nowhere.

_“Huh? Sei-chan, it's okay! I'm just glad you're not in trouble. The others are worried about you, too. Even Chi-chan.”_

“Really?” Akashi’s eyes widened in surprise. He was sure they all hated him for leading them to their first defeat. They were really worried about his well-being?

_“Yes! Ko-chan wanted to form a search party last night! And I almost let him!”_

“I see…” Akashi shifted his feet before leaning against the door. “Mibuchi?” he said quietly.

_“Yes?”_

“You can tell them where I am. Just make sure they keep it between us.”

_“Thank you, Sei-chan. They'll be relieved to know you're safe.”_

Apparently content, Mibuchi ended the call. Akashi sighed and headed back to the living room. Kagami leaned forward when he saw the other and watched him with his brows furrowed in concern as he reclaimed his seat next to him.

“Who was it?” he asked.

“Mibuchi,” Akashi answered honestly, eyes focused on the now muted TV screen as he hunched over to rest his forearms on his lap and clasp his hands together. “He was concerned about me. I told him the truth, and he's probably telling the rest of the team right now. I requested that they keep it a secret, and I'd like to ask the same thing of you.”

“Well, that's gonna be a bit of a problem, ‘cause I just told Kuroko.” He flinched and held his hands up in self-defense when Akashi tensed and shot him a wide-eyed look. “I'm sorry! I didn't know you wanted to keep this under wraps!”

“It's fine, I suppose,” Akashi said, relaxing and turning back to the TV. “Kuroko is good at keeping secrets. I trust him.”

Akashi’s phone pinged. He glanced at the screen to see a new message.

_Speak of the devil,_ he thought as he opened up the text.

_ **Kagami-kun told me you were staying at his house. Does this have anything to do with your father? If so, I'd like to help. I assume you would like as few people to know as possible.** _

_ **~Kuroko T.** _

Akashi was grateful for Kuroko’s ability to read the situation. He promptly responded.

_ **Thank you, Kuroko. I would prefer this information not to spread. I'm alright for now. And yes, this has everything to do with my father.** _

_ **~Seijuurou** _

Less than a minute later, he got a response.

_ **I see. I'm available if you or Kagami-kun need me.** _

_ **~Kuroko T.** _

Akashi sighed in relief before smiling and typed:

_ **Thank you again, truly.** _

_ **~Seijuurou** _

and flipped his phone shut again.

“Kuroko has promised not to tell anyone,” Akashi announced.

“So, what now?” asked Kagami.

The smaller boy looked down at his hands and began wringing his fingers. “I'm not sure. I still don't know where to go.”

“Well, maybe getting some fresh air will help,” Kagami suggested, moving to stand up. “There's a basketball court not too far from here. I know it's a little chilly out, but maybe a one-on-one will help clear your head.”

Akashi chuckled as his hands stilled in their wringing. “Is basketball all you ever think about?”

Kagami shrugged. “That and food. I’m a simple man.” He was surprised when that wrung a laugh out of the other teen. It was actually kind of cute.

Akashi stood, still smiling. He looked much more relaxed than he had been a few minutes ago. His posture wasn't as straight as it usually was. “Let me get changed and try to tame this mess.” He pointed to his bed head.

“Alright,” said Kagami, standing as well.

A few minutes later, the two of them were out the door, each holding a bottle of water and Kagami carrying his ball under one arm. Akashi was forced to wear the same thing he had on the day before since he'd only packed for an overnight trip.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

It turned out that the only thing a basketball match helped with was working up their appetites. Akashi had won the match, but he still felt lost. Kagami decided to introduce him to Maji Burger and insisted on paying for both of them. The shorter redhead looked absolutely appalled when he heard Kagami place his order of twenty cheeseburgers. The cashier treated it like it was the most normal thing in the world. He just ordered a salad for himself. He grimaced as Kagami wolfed down the first five burgers on his tray.

“Kagami, do you have any idea how many calories you're putting into your body?” he scolded, unable to take it anymore, as he gestured to the burger mountain on the other’s tray. A perfect mix of concern and disgust was painted all over his face. “Are you _trying_ to give yourself heartburn?”

Kagami just gave him a blank look from his position hunched over the food and said, “This is what I always order,” as he continued stuffing his face with his diabetes wrapped in paper. Akashi looked ready to faint. He gripped at his chest as he could practically feel his own heart failing.

His “mothering team captain” instincts from his middle school days were coming back to him. “I can't let this continue. Give me some of those,” said the point guard as he leaned over the table to snatch a burger from the top of the pile, unwrapping it, and biting into it. He involuntarily scrunched his face at the strong, greasy mix of flavors that assaulted his tongue. He'd never had a cheeseburger before. It was overwhelming.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kagami was trying not to laugh as he waited outside the bathroom stall for Akashi to finish heaving. He leaned casually against the door to the next stall, arms crossed and a smug grin on his face.

“I can hear you,” he heard from inside the stall.

Kagami leaned forward a bit to give his reply. “Dude, you barely even had three!”

“I don't normally eat fast food! I'm not used to it!”

“Well, that's what you get for taking my food.”

“You'll thank me when you're not wheelchair-bound in five years because your legs can't support your weight.” The stall door slammed open to reveal a pale, miserable Akashi still hunched over himself and clutching his stomach. “Okay, I think I'm good.” He grabbed some paper towels from the dispenser and wiped his mouth off before flushing them down the toilet with the burgers he'd just attempted and failed to eat.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. They got some new clothes and tofu for Akashi on the way back to Kagami’s house. Akashi received some more texts from his teammates, mostly expressing relief at Mibuchi’s news. He managed to convince Kagami to let him help with dinner. Afterward, they watched an admittedly bad cop movie before heading to bed.

Akashi was starting to feel more at ease with Kagami. Despite his gruff demeanor and lack of grace, he was actually a very nice, if somewhat awkward, person. After saying goodnight to Hayama for the fourth time in an attempt to get the hyper blonde to stop texting him and let him sleep, he rested easily that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a breather chapter, and more headcanons for Oreshi.


	4. Taiga, at last!

Over the next few days, Kagami learned that he had a lot more in common with Akashi than he thought. They both had a strong dislike for dogs. Both of them were only children. Neither of them had a mother (though, to be fair, Kagami’s mother was probably still alive). They both preferred to watch American basketball over Japanese. They were both casual gamers.

Kagami still wasn't entirely sure he knew this Akashi well enough to call him a friend, but one thing was certain: he was much more pleasant to be around than the other Akashi. He still held some regal air about him, but it was less like a dictator and more like a prince. He was polite and actually quite charming.

They were sitting close together on the couch watching another one of Akashi’s science shows, Kagami slumped back against the cushions and Akashi with his knees drawn comfortably to his chest (a marked improvement from the ramrod-straight posture from yesterday, Kagami noted), when a question popped into Kagami’s head.

“So, have you figured out where you're gonna go?”

Akashi tensed a bit. “I've been looking through my options,” he said, “but none seem satisfactory. If I go to a hotel, I'll have to use my credit card, and my father could track me. Going back to my Tokyo home is out of the question. The servants there will inform my father as soon as I step through the door.” He was resolute in not going home.

“Speaking of your dad,” said Kagami, turning to face the other, “has he called you at all?”

The point guard sat back on the couch. “I have his number and my home number blocked on my phone, but I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't-” the point guard cut himself off with a gasp and jolted forward, back going rigid and eyes widening in panic. “My phone! He can track my phone! Why didn't I think of that? What if he already knows I'm here?”

“Well, it’s still winter break,” Kagami reassured. He lifted a hand to place it in Akashi’s shoulder but retracted it before he made contact, instead letting it drop into his lap. “You haven't missed any classes, so there's no reason for him to think you're not in your dorm. We can get you a new phone so he can't find you.”

Akashi began to wring his fingers so hard that the joints cracked. The sound made Kagami cringe. “I don't have enough cash to pay for it, and if I use my card-”

“I'll pay for it!”

“Wh-what…?”

Oh boy. Kagami hadn't necessarily meant to say that, but he stuck to his guns. He sat up straight and looked Akashi dead in the eye. “I'll get you a new phone.”

Akashi’s hands slowed as he looked up at the power forward. “You would…? Can you-”

“Yes, I can afford it. Don't worry. I may not be as rich as you, but I'm not poor, either. I'll even put you on my plan.”

Akashi let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as his hands released each other completely. “Thank you, Kagami. You really don't have to do this.”

“You nearly had a panic attack at the thought of your dad finding you,” Kagami said as he stood and went to fetch his coat. “I don't know what you think he's gonna do, but after that reaction, I know it can't be good, and I won't let it happen.” Kagami had learned that if there was one thing both Akashis had in common, it was that they didn't have emotional reactions like that for no reason. If Akashi was scared enough of his father to hyperventilate, then he would do whatever he could to make sure they didn't run into each other.

He brought Akashi to the nearest tech shop and watched him pick out one of the newer model phones. He looked back at Kagami to confirm that it was within his budget. Kagami flashed him a grin and led him to the check-out desk. While they were waiting in line, Kagami noticed a shelf with phone cases on the wall next to them. He nudged Akashi and directed his attention to the shelf.

“Wanna pick out a case while we wait?” he asked.

“Oh! Um, sure,” the shorter teen responded. He took each into careful consideration before pulling out a case with geometric patterns of black, white, and red. Kagami didn't fail to notice the one next to it that had the same pattern, but in white, grey, and light blue.

_Akashi must really like red. Makes sense. It's literally half of his name._

Kagami waited as the woman at the front desk helped Akashi transfer all of his data into the new phone. Once they were done, he handed her his credit card. Akashi snickered when he saw that it had a basketball on it.

“You really are obsessed, aren't you?”

“Hey! I'm buying you a phone! A little respect would be nice!” Kagami joked. Akashi chuckled again, muffled by his hand.

“I know, I know. Thank you again for this.”

“Sure thing.” Kagami slipped his wallet back into his pocket and the two left the store. As Akashi was hunched over the phone as they walked, informing his friends of his new number via text, another sudden thought popped into Kagami’s head.

“Winter break is ending soon.”

Akashi hummed in agreement, his attention still on the phone. “It is.”

“What are you gonna do about school? If you don't show up to class, you teachers will call your dad.”

Akashi stopped typing and stood up straight. “I haven't thought about that…” He mentally kicked himself. How could he have been so stupid!? Perhaps he could drop out? He wanted to continue his education, though...

He was startled out of his thoughts by Kagami’s voice. “Um, Akashi? We're here.” They heard voices from inside the house and exchanged a confused look. “Did I leave the TV on?”

“No, you didn't…”

“Shit!” Kagami threw the door open, only to be greeted by his second-year teammates sitting around his living room. “What the hell…?” Akashi quickly hid behind him.

“Kagami-kun!” The two redheads jumped at the sudden voice beside them. They turned to see Kuroko standing there, looking worried. “What are you doing here? Didn't you get my text?”

“Huh?” Kagami said dumbly, pulling out his phone. There was a message from the blue-haired phantom.

_ **Kagami-kun, I advise that you and Akashi-kun don't come home just yet, wherever you are. I was coming to visit you, but I ran into some of our seniors. When I told them where I was going they followed me. I figured you could hide Akashi-kun before we came in, but you weren't home so they found the spare key and now we're all just kind of here. I'm trying to get them to leave, but they've conveniently forgotten I exist.** _

_ **~Kuroko T.** _

“Dammit!”

“Hey, Kagami’s back!” Koganei shouted, pointing excitedly to the boy in the doorway.

“Uh…”

“And…_AKASHI?!”_ Hyuuga exclaimed.

“Eh!? What is Akashi doing here!? I thought he was back in Kyoto!” Riko shoved the bespectacled boy out of the way to confirm that the captain of Rakuzan’s basketball team was indeed in Kagami’s house with them.

“It looks like you two have some explaining to do,” Kuroko said. “I'm sorry.”

Kagami looked at Akashi. “Are you sure you want to tell them?”

“We don't have much of a choice now,” said the smaller teen, stepping out to stand beside the other redhead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Moon, be subtle with the symbolic foreshadowing.
> 
> _*explicitly brings up the colors of the phone cases*_
> 
> Nailed it!


	5. I See the Reaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi presents the question. Mitobe presents the answer. Whatever cosmic force seems to be working against Akashi presents the roadblock.

The second-year Seirin students listened intently as Akashi explained his situation, all seated around Kagami’s kitchen table, leaning toward the two redheads. Kuroko busied himself in the kitchen getting a glass of water, still feeling horribly guilty about the whole ordeal. Kagami kept a comforting hand on Akashi's shoulder for the duration of his speech.

“Wow,” said Koganei, scratching his head, “your dad sounds like a total asshole.”

Everyone stared at the cat-mouthed boy in shock.

“Koganei!” Kiyoshi scolded.

Akashi quickly intervened. “No, he's right. My father is…not the model of a proper parent.”

“So what _are_ you going to do about school?” asked Riko, tilting her head. “Winter break ends in three days.”

Everyone was silent for a moment until Koganei whipped his head around to face Mitobe, who was seated beside him. “Wait, WHAT!?” he choked, looking for all the world like a man having a heart attack. The taller boy simply nodded in response.

“Koganei-senpai, what did he say?” Kuroko asked before taking a swig from his glass.

“He said, ‘Akashi could always transfer to Seirin’!”

Everyone gasped. Kuroko choked on his water, sending him into a coughing fit, providing the only sound in the room until Kagami spoke.

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind,” he said.

“Didn’t he try to stab you, though?!” Hyuuga shouted, slamming his hands down onto the table and glasses damn near cracking. Riko smacked him on the back of his head before pulling him back down.

“Weren’t you paying attention?!” she chided. “It was the other Akashi who did that!”

“You seriously believe that?” Hyuuga pointed accusingly at his coach. “Does no one else see how insane this is?!”

“I _know_ it's weird!” she bit back. “It's fucking crazy! But, I mean, look at him! He is acting like a completely different person! And remember Kuroko’s dribble about the ‘real Akashi-kun’ coming back? Do you think _Kuroko’s_ crazy, too?!”

“We don’t know much about this version of Akashi,” said Kiyoshi in an attempt to calm the others down, “but I’m willing to give him a chance.”

“And if we brought Akashi on the team,” Izuki added, “then we’d only need one more black ace to make a full set*!” He was met with blank stares.

Kuroko, who was miraculously still alive, leaning on the kitchen counter, decided to at last give his input.

“Um, guys, I would love the chance to play basketball with Akashi-kun again, but you do realize transferring schools would require permission from his father.” That shut everyone down. It seemed awkward silence was the theme of the day.

“Maybe you could get someone to pretend to be your dad? Fake a signature?” Koganei suggested. Akashi’s brows furrowed.

“I’m not breaking the law, Koganei,” he said.

“There’s a way for a minor to become independent and be viewed as an adult by law,” Hyuuga said. “Then you could sign the transfer papers yourself.”

“I am aware of that, and I have thought about it in the past,” said Akashi, “but that process takes months. I only have a few days.”

“Couldn’t you say you’re _thinking_ of transferring and taking a tour of the campus?” Riko asked. This time it was Kuroko who answered.

“Again, that would require prior notice to both schools,” said the blue-haired shadow.

Before anyone could make another suggestion, a metal song started blasting through the room. Everyone turned to Kuroko with a mix of shock and curiosity as the shadow pulled out his phone. His eyes widened at the caller ID, and he signaled for everyone to stay quiet before he hit the green button and put the phone to his ear.

“Hello, Akashi-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Izuki is referring to the fact that if Akashi joins the Seirin basketball team, they'd have 3 aces on the team, two of which are redheads and one of which has "black" in his name. He's also referencing the aces in a typical deck of cards: two red (hearts and diamonds) and two black (clubs and spades). It's not meant to be a racial thing.


	6. Somehow I've Got to Go On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi doesn't know what he's going to do, but that's fine as long as he has the new friends he's making.
> 
> ((I'M ALIVE!! I'm so sorry for randomly dropping off the face of the earth. I just. Lost the motivation to write. For a long time. I was also unsure of where I wanted this story to go when I started it, but now I think I have a better idea of what I'm doing.))

Everyone was completely silent as Kuroko spoke to Akashi’s father.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t seen him. I assumed he simply went home to Kyoto… Perhaps there’s something wrong with his phone? …I understand, Akashi-san, but I recommend you try contacting his teammates. …Mm, I’ll see if I can get in touch with him. Good-bye.” At that, he hung up and turned to Akashi. The look on his former teammate’s face told him he didn’t need to repeat the conversation he had just had with Masaomi.

Akashi placed his head in his hands, masking his expression from the Seirin students. “Wonderful,” he bit out. “He’s not even here and he already knows I’m not doing what I’m supposed tp be doing…” He took a deep breath and lifted his head, expression carefully controlled. “I don’t know what to do…”

“We’ll figure something out,” Kagami resting a hand in Akashi’s hair. “I’m not letting you go back to him.”

“Kagami…” Akashi felt his eyes begin to sting and quickly swallowed the emotion building up in his throat. Kagami seeing him so vulnerable was one thing. He wouldn’t let himself crack around an entire team of his rivals.

…But were they even rivals anymore? One shook his hand even after Akashi had abandoned him. One invited him into his home. The rest were currently trying to come up with answers for him when he himself could find none. It was all so confusing. His entire world had been flipped upside-down in a matter of days, and he wasn’t prepared for any of it. He began to contemplate if taking his body back from his other self was a mistake if it led to all this chaos.

Yet at the same time, the time he’d spent with Kagami was the happiest he’d been since before his mother died. He was unsure of many things, but one thing he was absolutely certain of was that he didn’t want to go back to the way things were. He never wanted to go back to that. He was _himself_ again for the first time in what felt like an eternity, and it was _so damn confusing,_ but it felt amazing.

“Akashi-kun?” Kuroko’s voice pulled him back to the real world. “Just making sure you were still with us. Anything come up while you were lost in thought?”

Akashi shook his head. “No, but… As Kagami said, we’ll figure something out. In the meantime, I’m famished.” He stood, Kagami’s hand sliding off his head. “Why don’t we all go out for a meal together?”

“But you just got back,” said Riko.

“I know,” Akashi replied, “but it’s a bit cramped in here, don’t you think? I’d like to get to know you all a bit better. Perhaps seeing how you interact in a more relaxed atmosphere will help me gauge how exactly you all were able to lead me to my first defeat.”

Hyuuga grumbled, clearly unconvinced. “How do we know you won’t poison us?”

Akashi sighed. “I suppose you don’t. But I’m quite literally a different person than the boy who took a pair of scissors to Kagami’s face. I’m not angry about losing the Winter Cup, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

“I think it would be good to get some food in all of us,” Kiyoshi piped up, moving to stand himself. “Ah… Akashi, you don’t mind if we go to a…lower-end place, do you? None of us are, uh…”

Akashi held his hand up and offered an understanding smile. “You don’t have to say it. Anywhere you choose is fine.”Kagami snickered. “Says the guy who threw up from eating a burger.”

Akashi flushed at that and sputtered indignantly at the other redhead before he finally managed, “From eating _three_ burgers in an attempt to spare _you_ from a heart attack, you ungrateful-!” He huffed and marched toward the front door, slipping on his shoes. “Kuroko, where do you usually have team meals? Lead the way.”

Hiding his own smirk behind his phone, Kuroko glided to the door, the rest of his teammates finally following suit. Once everyone had their shoes on, a process that took longer than it probably should have due to general shenanigans - mostly from Izuki - they were off. During their walk, Kuroko sidled up to Akashi and, quietly enough that only the other Miracle could hear, said “You seem happy.”

Akashi’s eyes widened briefly at that before a gentle smile spread across his face. “Is that was this is? It’s been so long, I almost forgot what it felt like.”

Kuroko responded with a small smile of his own. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do yet, but I’m confident we’ll figure something out together.”

“I know,” Akashi said. “Teamwork doesn’t seem to have failed you yet. It even gave you the power to beat me.”

Kuroko shook his head. _“We_ beat you. Together. And we’ll fix this together, too.”


End file.
